‘We could break the Florida record’: Parts of state could see 6 inches of snow as winter storm hits, DeSantis says

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Governor Ron DeSantis said Tuesday afternoon that Florida could see a record amount of snow in the Panhandle over the next 24 hours as a rare winter storm hits the state.

Desantis said the forecast calls for 2-4 inches of snow in the hardest hit areas, but it’s possible there could be localized accumulation of up to 6 inches.

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“I’ve asked my guys to go back and look at the historical record, and we’ve never had six inches accumulate in Florida based on the information that we had. So that’s something that would be very, very noteworthy,” DeSantis said during the news conference at the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee.

DeSantis said the biggest hazard will likely be on the road and urged people to avoid driving if possible.

FDOT said it is conducting anti-icing spraying Tuesday afternoon in Northeast Florida on bridges and overpasses on I-10, I-75 and I-95 in preparation for freezing temperatures and precipitation forecast in the region.

Extreme cold warnings have been issued across the far western Panhandle for wind chill values as low as 5 degrees being possible.

There could be isolated power outages in the state and crews are standing by, state officials said.

Winter storm warnings have been issued for the western Panhandle with additional extensions eastward along the I-10 corridor in Duval County.

“I don’t have to tell anybody that we’re not necessarily used to walking in a winter wonderland here in Florida. This is atypical weather for our region, even northern Florida, which is traditionally cooler than southern Florida at this time of year. We are not used to seeing significant snow accumulation. Now, our infrastructure is designed differently than states that are used to this. I mean, if this were South Dakota, they would just shrug their shoulders. We are designed a little bit differently,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis issued a state of emergency on Monday evening ahead of the winter storm that is forecast to impact North Florida beginning Tuesday evening.

According to the executive order, hazardous winter weather will be likely across North Florida including dangerously cold temperatures, snow, sleet and freezing rain.

DeSantis wrote via X that the Florida Division of Emergency Management is monitoring this system closely and the Department of Transportation is on standby with snow plows and other equipment ready to respond to road and bridge safety needs.

The governor also warned Floridians of hazardous driving conditions, especially over bridges, overpasses and elevated surfaces, which could lead to possible road and bridge closures.

A Freeze Warning and Winter Storm Warning will be in effect Tuesday evening in our area.

The greatest threat locally will be ice forming Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, creating hazardous travel conditions from western Jacksonville and points north and west.